Slide fastener



June 20, 1961 LA MOINE E. JOHNS 2,988,796

SLIDE FASTENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 12, 1958 INVENTOR daMo/lvz 6'. d oH/vs' wiaw June 20, 1961 LA MOlNE E, JOHNS 2,988,796

SLIDE FASTENER Filed Nov. 12, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOR EY United States Patent 2,988,796 SLIDE FASTENER La Moine'E. Johns, West'field, N.J., assignor to Conmar Products Corporation, Newark, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 773,489 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-20511) This invention relates generally to a slide fastener and, more particularly, to a slide fastener having improved top stops for arresting slider movement.

Disappearing type top stops are now widely used in slide fastener applications where it is desired to conceal such stops within the slider in the fully closed'condition of the fastener, and such top stops are inherently relatively weak, and under undue and oftentimes normal stress displace or pull-off with respect to the stringers,

'or laterally by-pass each other to release the slider for movement past the stops and disengagement from the stringers. It is accordingly the primary aim and object of the present invention to provide a slide fastener having novel and improved disappearing type top stops for arresting slider movement which obviates the above noted disadvantages of the heretofore used disappearing type top stops, and which provide substantially increased resistance to top stop displacement or pull-off with positive prevention against lateral by-pass.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a slide fastener having top stops of the aforenoted character which are of simple and unique design and construction, and which are economical to mass fabricate and assemble onto slide fastener stringers.

To accomplish the foregoing general objects, and other more specific objects which will hereafter appear, the present invention resides in the slide fastener and top stop members, and their relations one to the other, as are hereinafter described in the following specification.

The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a slide fastener formed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one side of a top stop blank formed according to the present invention;

'FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the opposite side of the blank;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the top stop blank formed into open U-shape preliminary to the clamping thereof onto a slide fastener stringer;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the slide fastener, on an enlarged scale, with a part of the top slider wing broken away to reveal top stop structural details, the slider being shown arrested by the top stops;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a top stop taken on the lines 6-6 of FIGS. 5 and 7; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to 7 FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a slide fastener 10 comprising stringers 12 and 14 having rows of interlockable fastener elements 16 secured to the inner beaded or raised edge 18 of the stringers, there being provided a slider 20 which is movable along the stringers to engage and disengage the interlockable fastener elements 16. The slider 20 may be of any conventional construction and comprises a slider body 22 having a front wing 24 and a rear wing 26 spacedly connected at one end as at 38. The front wing 24 is provided with a lug 28 or other suitable attachment medium for the pull tab 30, which is adapted for manipulation to move the slider along the stringers. The Wings 24 and 26 are formed with the usual inturned side flanges 40, and the inner surface of the wings and their inturned side flanges, together with the neck or Ice diamond, define a substantially Y-shaped channel 42 for engaging and disengaging the fastener elements of the stringers. The channel 42 includes branches 44 which diverge at an acute angle on the upper part of the slider. The slider may be of the non-lock, pinlock, wing lock, cam lock, friction lock, or automatic lock type.

Pursuant to the present invention, the stringers 12 and 14 have a complementary pair of interengageable top stops 46 attached thereto to arrest the slider as shown in FIG. 5, the top stops being structurally identical and disposed in opposed ofiz'set relation on said stringers at the upper end of the rows of elements 16. The top stop 46 is formed from a straight blank 46 (FIGS. 2. and 3) having at one side longitudinally extending spaced flanges or ribs 48 defining a medially extending groove 50 therebetween. provided marginal rails '52 defining a channel 54 therebetween, the bottom Wall 56 of the channel having a series of transversely disposed uniformly spaced upstanding ribs 58 which are adapted to be clamped into firm engagement with a raised or beaded edge 18 of a stringer. It will be noted that the ribs 58 have sloping opposite walls converging to apex line 60. The blank 46 is formed into top stop blank 46", in an advanced stage of fabrication, by bending blank 46' into the open U-shape 46" shown in FIG. 4, the latter blank defining top stop 46 on being clamped onto a stringer.

As shown in FIG. 4, the spaced legs 61 of the blank 46" diverge towards the free ends 63 thereof, and on clamping said blank to the raised edge of a stringer, said legs are displaced into substantial parallelism, as shown in FIG. 6. The ribs 58 firmly imbed themselves into theraised edge of the stringer to achieve a firm clamping engagement between the top stop and the stringer, the raised edge being received in the channel 54 of the top stop.

The top stop 46 is thus generally U -shaped, havingulegs 61' disposed in substantial parallelism, and comprises a pair of laterally spaced U-shaped peripheral flanges 48' which define a peripheral groove 50' therebetween, the flanges being structurally similar and the groove 50' extending medially of the top stop. As best shown in FIG. 5, the flange 48 of one top stop engages in the groove 50 of the other top stop on the movement of the slider 20 into engagement with the top stops. It will be noted that the top stops are of the disappearing type and are concealed from view in the channel 42 of the slider in the engaged relation thereof. More particularly, the top stops are received, and interengaged, in the branches 44 of the channel 42, the flange wall portions 40 engaging the top stops to interengage the latter and arrest slider movement in a fastener closing direction. It will be observed that each of the flanges 48' have inclined or cam shaped peripheral extending opposite side walls 62 which aid in guiding the top stops into interengaged relation.

As the force of the slider against the top stops is increased, the interengagement between the top stops is correspondingly increased to provide a very firm and effective top stop arresting action. Due to the top stop construction aforedescribed, such top stops interlock or interengage, with such engagement becoming firmer on the increase of pressure applied through the slider against the top stops, and such interlocking action effectively prevents lateral by-pass of one top stop with respect to the other, which releases the slider for movement beyond the top stops. Furthermore, pursuant to the aforedescribed top stop construction, one top stop cannot displace or pullofi independent of the other and such displacement or pull-off must occur with respect to both top stops in unison, which provides a very strong securement of the top stops and one highly resistant to displacement. Thus the top stops of the present invention are highly resistant At the opposite side of the blank there are I to top ,stop displacement or pull-0E, and due to the interlooking or interengaging feature as described above, there is positive prevention against top stop lateral by-pass and accompanyingslider release. It will be understood'that the top stops-may be formed of any suitablematerial and fabricated pursuant to any desired method. For example, the top stop blanks 46 may be severed from continuous strip material suitably formed to the cross-section illusspaced interlockable elements, said stringers having a complementary pair of interengageable top stops attached thereto to arrest a slider, said top stops being structurally identical and disposed in opposed offset relation on said stringers, each of said top stops being generally U-shaped and comprising a pair of laterally spaced U-shaped peripheral flanges defining a peripheral groove therebetween, the flange of one top stop engaging in the groove of the other top stop on the movement of said slider into engagement with said top stops.

2. A slide fastener having a pair of stringers with spaced interlockable elements, said stringers having a complementary pair of interengageable top stops attached thereto to arrest a slider, said top stops being structurally identical and disposed in opposed offset relation on said stringers, each of said top stops being generally U-shaped and comprising a pair of laterally spaced U-shaped peripheral flanges defining a peripheral groove therebetween, the flange of one top stop engaging in the groove of the other top stop on the movement of said slider into engagement with said top stops, each of said flanges having cam shaped peripherally extending opposite sidewalls to'guide said top stops into'engaged relation.

3. A slide fastener having a pair of stringers with spaced interlockable elements, said stringers having a complementary pair of interengageable top stops attached thereto to arrest a slider, said top stops being structurally identical and disposed in opposed oflset relation on said stringers, each of said top stops being generally U-shaped and comprising a pair of laterally spaced U-shaped peripheral flanges defining a peripheral groove therebetween, the flange of one top stop engaging in the groove of the other top stop on the movement of said slider into engagement with said top stops, the latter being of a size to be wholly contained and concealed from view in said slider in the engaged relation thereof, each of said flanges having cam shaped peripherally extending opposite sidewalls to guide said top stops into engaged relation.

4. A slide fastener having a pair of stringers with rows of spaced interlockable elements, said stringers having a complementary pair of interengageable top stops attached thereto to arrest a slider, said top stops being structurally identical and disposed in opposed offset relation on said stringers at one end of said rows of elements, each of said top stops being generally U-shaped and comprising a pair of similar laterally spaced U-shaped peripheral flanges defining a peripheral groove therebetween and medially of said top stop, the flange of one top stop engaging in the groove of the other top stop on the movement of said slider into engagement with said top stops, the latter being disposed within said slider in the engaged relation thereof.

1 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,910,404 Prentice May 23, 1933 2,161,329 Wittenberg June 6, 1939 2,220,136 Marinsky Nov. 5, 1940 2,398,592 Morin Apr. 16, 1946 

